Happy Solstice everyone! The longest night is upon us, and I think we’re all ready to welcome back the light. This time of year, for me, is all about inner reflection, looking back on the last years happenings. It’s an exciting time to realize the potential that you can harness in 365 days. This time last year I had a little baby bump and had no idea what to expect but now I have this sweet little angel and it all seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. I am so in love with life and the capacity for us all to achieve great things, to full fill our wildest dreams, to learn new skills, practice old ones and reformulate our outlook so that it serves us all the better.
After a day of frolicking around the city, people watching in the busy shopping mall and running around trying to get all the last minute goodies taken care of, I’m so glad that we’re celebrating solstice this year. The mad rush of the 24th is no longer looming because it just doesn’t matter, phew. Tomorrow morning we’ll get up slow, drink baileys and coffee, make a quiche or a giant frittata and open gifts while my dad films the whole thing. We’re roasting a beautiful free range turkey, complete with all the fix ins, and for the one and only time this year our entire family will sit down together and share a meal. I’m so incredibly grateful for all of this, I know what a monumental blessing it is to have a loving family, I wish everyone had that.
Now without further adieu, these little imitation ferrero rochers are delightful and a great little treat to spread joy with to all. I like to plop them into an egg carton for a makeshift box of chocolates. Of course, these beauties are free of unknown nasty preservatives or other weird ingredients, and I personally like them better than their commercial counterparts. All they need is some fancy gold wrapping and a little stick, et voila!
- 1½ cups roasted hazelnuts
- 1 C dates or date paste, soaked in warm water to soften
- 2 Tbs coconut oil, melted
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ C chocolate chips
- ¼ C whole raw almonds
- In a high powered blender or food processor, add 1 C hazelnuts, dates,salt and coconut oil, blend until smooth.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
- Roll 1 tsp of date hazelnut mixture into little balls, sticking a whole almond in the middle.
- Crush the remaining ½ C of hazelnuts in a blender or by bashing them in a bag with a rolling pin.
- Place the balls into the melted chocolate and push around with a spoon until fully coated.
- Roll in the remaining crushed hazelnuts and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or plate.
- When your finished you should have around 20 ferrero roc hers to share with your friends. Place them in the freezer to set for an hour.
